Almost 30 people have been ill and three have died in a listeria outbreak that has been investigated in Denmark.
From 2018 to 2024 there are two different Listeria types linked to the Polar Salmon Hjerting Laks.
Findings from a recent test by Fødevarestyrelsen (Denmark’s Veterinary Food Bureau) have reported the company to the police.
The Statens Serum Institut, the Danish Veterinary Food Bureau, and the National Food Institute investigated the incident.
In total, 27 people have become ill. This includes one case each for 2018, 2020 and 2021. Two cases were recorded in 2019, six in 2022, seven in 2023 and nine in 2024.
The patients are 20 women and 7 men. They range from 28 to 88 years old. Three people died within 30 days of the positive sample, but it is unclear whether this is from or if it existed.
International angle
One outbreak was caused by Listeria Monocytogenes ST1607, with 20 cases reported between 2019 and November 2024.
In interviews with 16 sick people and their relatives, about what patients ate to the disease, 10 recall consuming ready-to-eat fish products.
April 2024, Outbreak evaluation The European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) have revealed one case in Germany and two cases in Italy.
The outbreak was discovered in 2023 in the environment of a Danish processing plant and in products from 2021 onwards. This suggests that this indicates the persistence of plant listeria, and points of contamination have been identified and uncontrolled.
Other outbreaks were due to Listeria monocytogen Seven ST8s were found from 2018 to 2024.
The same Listeria type was found in fish producer polar salmon rack environment and product samples. Comparison of isolates from patients and foods by WGS showed that they were identical.
Patients in Germany, Italy and Sweden were also associated with these outbreaks, and the same listeria type was found in product samples exported from Danish companies.
Test results
Based on inspections at Polar Salmon Hjerting Laks in Esbjerg, the company was reported to police for notifying the supply chain or notification authorities of immediate edible food contaminated in Listeria.
The January 2025 Control Report reveals that it provided all certificates of analysis for Listeria from January 2023 to October 2024. Tests are conducted by an external lab. The Danish Veterinary Food Bureau compared these certificates of analysis with certificates for the same period of time provided by external labs. There are nine listeria positive results that are not found in the company’s digital quality control tools or the certificate of analysis provided.
The Danish Veterinary Food Bureau said the company had access to a certificate of analysis indicating the detection of Listeria and had knowledge, but was unable to withdraw or recall the product and did not notify the agency. In 2023, part of one batch was blocked in the warehouse after Listeria was detected. The company told authorities that some products had been destroyed, but this did not say Listeria’s findings were positive.
The company said it would withdraw both the number of lots affected and the issues that occurred while former employees were in control, according to the report.
(To sign up for a free food safety news subscription, click here))
